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The YouTuber-turned-fighter's jaw dropped agape, his expression turning to huge glazed saucers as he sank to the canvas in stunned disbelief after a pulverising right hand from Anthony Joshua. It appeared as if Paul was attempting to say "Whoa!" as the force of the blow registered to his rattled senses.

"The audience didn't spend money to see this garbage," said the referee, summing up the dismal spectacle much more effectively than any observer else could.

Trapped in a corner of the ring midway through the sixth round, Paul could not retreat or cling to Joshua's legs like a forlorn little boy as the gravity of boxing became clear. Instead, as he attempted to withstand the punch that broke his jaw in two distinct locations, Paul was caught in an utterly stunned moment.

So this is how it feels, and looks, to be hit hard by a genuine boxer, an Olympic champion and former world heavyweight champion. "Wow" is indeed the appropriate term.

It was the fourth time the former YouTuber had been sent to the floor, but the consequences of a proper power shot ensured Paul would not be able to get up and waggle his tongue defiantly before the official waved the charade to a halt. As blood began to leak from his mouth, and a dull ache radiated through his jaw, Paul at last grasped how difficult, grueling, and perilous boxing is at a decent level of professionalism.

A Far From Commanding Win for the Victor

Joshua, it must be noted, was not impressive amid the bedlam. After his empty victory, he made a throat-slitting gesture that suggested a clinical and lethal finish when, in reality, Joshua had appeared exasperated for most of the contest. Instead of glowering with menace or exhibiting an unshakeable confidence, Joshua had appeared hesitant and awkward for almost five rounds.

Paul's poor fitness, which is a fundamental requirement in elite boxing, shaped the result. Lacking the stamina to escape any more, and reduced to falling to the deck as frequently as he could for a rest, Paul was left defenseless by fatigue. Joshua applied the brutal ending, but, up to that point, he had seemed a sad imitation of the boxer he was in 2017.

The Winner's Post-Fight Assessment

"It wasn't the finest display," Joshua admitted. "The objective was to catch Jake Paul, pin him down and do damage. That has been the request, and that's what was on my thoughts. It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand finally reached its destination."

Joshua praised Paul's courage but he added an explanation for his own stilted performance. "He came up against a genuine competitor tonight that's had a fifteen-month hiatus," Joshua said, referencing his last defeat. "We dusted off the rust, and I can't wait to roll into 2026."

What Comes Next: Past Their Prime and Rising Stars

In the press conference that followed, a cheerful Joshua tried out a woeful imitation of Tyson Fury as he called for a fight against the currently retired boxer. Joshua will probably have his way, but that matchup comes far too late in their professional journeys. Both fighters are on the far side of the hill.

In contrast, the most interesting heavyweights in the world are Oleksandr Usyk and the British prospect. Usyk remains the unquestioned king of the weight class, after defeating both Joshua and Fury twice. Meanwhile, Itauma is a rising talent. The young British heavyweight likely have needed less than half the number of three-minute periods that Joshua needed to send Paul into a appropriately wowed stupor.

The Defeated Fighter's Unbowed Response

But the fans gets what the public wants, and that undoubtedly means more pitiful crossover contests. Paul seemed truly proud and cocky to have had his jaw broken by a hammer-like right. In the early hours of the next day, he posted an X-ray, with the two fractures marked in crimson.

That jokey nod to Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, a far greater boxer than Joshua but a equally faded force, demonstrated that Paul's comic chutzpah is undented. It may not be Canelo, but Paul will soon locate someone else with whom he can earn north of $50 million.

While he was being interviewed, before leaving for the medical facility, Paul expelled a tracer of blood onto the canvas. It was another bleak summary of the evening as Paul mixed blunt truth with blood-flecked bullshit and said: "I think my jaw is broken. It's certainly broke. A proper beating from one of the best to ever do it. I love this sport and I'm going to return and continue winning."